"What…" He blinked, looking down at the unfamiliar attire he was wrapped in. Once. Twice. His eyes widened. What am I wearing? He wanted to shout, but before he could, a hand pressed against his arm.
He turned sharply to the right. "…Xiu Mei?"
His vision cleared further, only to falter again. The face before him bore Xiu Mei's outline but was far too masculine—sharper, broader, and rougher than her usual disguises.
Uncle Shi, please play along, her voice echoed directly into his spirit sea. This is for your own good. Just one more time—put on a mask and stop these guards from getting too nosey.
I'll explain later, she added. And only then did Shi Yang realize something had forced them into this farce, both of them dressed in absurd disguises.
He exhaled shallowly, steadying himself, then turned his gaze on the guardsman. The man's eyes held concern, but Shi Yang shoved him back with a cold glare.
"How am I supposed to answer your questions if I just woke up?"
His words came sharp, laced with irritation. He exaggerated the motion of crossing his legs, straightening with imperious composure. Goddammit, what the hell have you gotten me into, he sighed inwardly, still reeling from the whiplash of returning from his inner world. He turned again, fixing his gaze on Xiu Mei.
"Little Mei," he muttered under his breath, tone dry, a vein twitching at his temple. "Couldn't you have handled this yourself?" He raised a brow, arms crossed, finally sweeping his eyes over the gathered soldiers.
"I tried," she said quickly, rubbing at the edge of her fake mustache before letting out a nervous laugh. "I told them you were only sleeping, since you'd had a rough night. But they refused to let us pass until they saw you were well."
"Hm?" he hummed, tilting his head, his quick-witted nature surfacing as he pieced together the limited information he had. "Is that all?" His eyes slid back to Wei Jianhong. He clicked his tongue. "Well, I'm awake now. You can see I'm very well-rested. So unless you'd like more of the cold seeping in, perhaps you'll let us be on our way."
Then, leaning back in his seat, his hand drifted toward Xiu Mei's knee. "After all," he murmured, fingers gliding deliberately up her pant leg, "I'm in more than good hands right now." His smirk curved wider as he patted her thigh, enjoying the flush of awkwardness his gesture stirred in both her and the guard.
Wei Jianhong froze. The courtesan's cold glare, the languid poise, the casual intimacy with the "escort" beside him—it all struck him at once. Heat flushed across his face. He coughed into his fist, ears turning red, and stepped back from the carriage door.
"Y-you seem… well enough," he stammered. His spear lowered awkwardly. "Forgive the intrusion."
He waved them through, retreating a step as the carriage began to roll forward.
Behind him, his partner groaned. "See? I told you they looked proper enough. Now you've gone and made a fool of yourself—especially in front of probably the prettiest courtesan in town."
"Shut it," Wei Jianhong muttered, but the burn in his cheeks only deepened.
—
Inside the carriage, Shi Yang let out a sharp hiss as soon as they were clear of the checkpoint. His hands clawed at the silken sleeves, yanking them off his arms with rough motions. The embroidered sash was ripped free, tossed into the corner. Next came the hairpins, clattering against the wooden floor, and then the thin mouth veil, which he tore away with undisguised fury.
"Heavens above…" he growled, dragging a sleeve across his face, smearing rouge and powder until his skin burned. "I've fought ghosts, faced death, and even endured the chaos of my spirit sea—but this?" His voice dripped venom. "This humiliation is the worst yet."
He stripped layer after layer, leaving a heap of silks and ribbons in the carriage. His glare burned at Xiu Mei, though beneath it was a flicker of grudging restraint—because she had her reasons, and he knew it.
Still, he spat, "If you ever dress me up as a woman again, Xiu Mei, I swear I'll throw you out of this carriage myself."
She didn't seem offended by his frankly harsh comment, instead her eyes swelled with tears of joy. "Uncle Shiii" she pulled the paper mask off from her face, returning to her original appearance and jumped into his arms.
"Hey–" his words got cut off, as he felt her tongue intruders into his mouth. This girl, he smiled softly and kissed her passionately. His hands removing her cloak with swift efficiency.
Then he turned her around, pinning her to the walls and began pulling the sashe off the outer layer of her hanfu. "did you remember what I told you I'd do once you successfully beat your tribulations~"
Xiu Mei nodded, her eyes glistening with enthusiasm. "I'm yours... Uncle... " Her clothes soon fall, one by one, as his rough fingers did their work and crossed between her legs.
Nmm. Her moans came out softly, "we have to be quiet... " She murmured against his ear. Her eyes darted towards the door, and she flicked a finger towards it.
Her discarded robes lit up as two barrier talismans set themselves up on the wooden surface. "that'll give us a bit of time, if your daoist partner figure out somethings happening"
She whispered, one of her legs moved up around his waist. Giving his fingers more room to maneuver, "Han Jie?" he asked, his fingers sliding through her slippery folds.
"Mmm... " Xiu Mei let out, closing her eyes, to better get a grasp of the pleasure his hand brought her. "They're in front, and we have been taking turns guiding the horse and watching you every hour"
She admits, "but it's almost time for her to switch, " she said while her palm lowered to his pants. "so I want to make our lest few minutes count, and not for them to burdge in suddenly. "
"so you want us to be sneaky with our reunion~"
"isn't that a bit exciting, " he voiced, kissing her collar. His abdomen lit up, and his pants began visibly glowing, I don't know what really happened when I went unconscious, but it seems these two had worked hard to save me.
So it's justified if I save her from her inner temptations, he smiled wickedly, his pants bulging. With me around her, nothing born of flesh will obscure her path.
Shi Yang pulled out of her moisted lower lip, her muscles trying to suck him back in. But he didn't allow that, instead he lowered his pants and his dragon swored into the sky.
She looks at his twitching member, and blushes, "I'm ready... " His eye's lit up with that conformation, his hips pressed forward. Making her wrench, at the sensation of having her innermost walls stretched once more.
Her eyes watered, and both her legs locked around his hips.
Her breath hitches as his length stretches her, a sharp gasp escaping before she bites her lip to muffle it. "Mmmn... so big..."
Her inner walls flutter around him instinctively, heat coiling low in her belly. She presses closer, nails digging into his shoulders. "Uncle Shi—ah! Don't stop... please."
The carriage sways slightly with their movements, making her grip tighten. Her voice drops to a whisper against his ear: "Faster... before Han Jie's notices—!"
A particularly deep thrust cuts off her words, replaced by a choked moan. Her legs tremble around his hips. "Ngh—you're... filling me up too much..."
She can already feel the familiar tension building again despite herself. "I-I'm close... don't let me scream..."
Xiu Mei's reaction was immediate and visceral, her body tensing as if electrified by his touch. A shudder ran down her spine, her breath catching in her throat. Her hands flew up to clutch at his shoulders, nails digging into the hard muscle.
"Uncle Shi!" she gasped, the word torn from her lips on a wave of surprise and pleasure. She could feel every inch of him inside her, stretching and filling her in ways she'd never known before. It was almost too much – overwhelming in its intensity – but she couldn't bring herself to pull away.
Instead, she arched into him, seeking more contact even as a moan escaped her parted lips. The carriage rocked gently with their movements, but it only served to heighten the sensation of being so utterly claimed by this man who had haunted her dreams for centuries.
"N-no... please," she managed to whimper against his ear when he began to withdraw slightly. Her legs wrapped tighter around his waist, desperate not to lose the connection between them. "Don't stop..."
The plea hung in the air as he pushed back into her with renewed vigor, driving deeper than before until they were fully joined once more. Xiu Mei's vision blurred at the edges as pleasure began to coil low in her belly like a spring ready to snap.
"Oh lord..." she breathed raggedly through clenched teeth even as another wave of ecstasy crashed over her unprepared senses. "I-I'm going t-to... Uncle Shi!"
Her words dissolved into choked sobs as climax washed over her like a tidal wave–an intense release that seemed both agonizingly prolonged and all too brief at once.
"Xiu Mei!" he grunted, his own release following suit. His muscles buckled, and his yang energy forced its way out—spraying her womb white, as warmth pooled against both of them.
Her cultivation grew slightly, with her dantian drinking up every last drop of his release. But, he didn't neglect his own growth as he pressed against her sweaty body and bandaged chest.